http:www.francevelotourisme.com 28/11/2020 Guerlain's hunting house Vélo Tourisme

This cycling outing leads you southwest from Nantes to the Lac de Grand-Lieu, one of ’s largest lakes. You pass through vineyards, the odd umbrella pine rising above the vines. Approaching your destination via Bouaye, enjoy the remarkable canal-side village near the lake and the Maison Guerlain visitor centre. Consider combining this cycling outing with a return train journey, as local trains accept bikes.

Cycle route

This cycling trail is signposted all the way along its 21km. Between Nantes and , your route follows that of La Vélodyssée and La Loire à Vélo. Later, a signposted link facilitates the connection Départ Arrivée Bouaye < > Maison du Lac. Nantes Bouaye To make the most of a single day’s excursion, it is recommended that you either take the train out from Nantes as far as Bouaye at the start of your outing, or Durée Distance 1 h 23 min 20,86 Km that you take the train from Bouaye to Nantes at the end of the day.

Niveau Thématique From Bouaye, there a cycle link taking you to I cycle often Nature & small heritage Pierres Aigües (which offers a great viewing point over the Lac de Grand-Lieu at St-Aignan de Grand-lieu), making an additional round trip of 9km.

Take care at these particular points • along the D751 road, where the cycle path ceases for short stretches (e.g. at round-abouts and entrances and exits to petrol stations) • following the D751 road through Bouaye, when the cycle lane is sometimes broken up by parking bays • along the D264 road, just before La Maison du Lac visitor centre

SNCF train services

Train stations at Nantes, Pont Rousseau and Bouaye: you can transport your bike on the TER regional service Nantes <> .

Don't miss

Nantes: the Mémorial de l’Abolition de l’Esclavage (recalling France’s abolition of slavery and the fact that Nantes was one of the French ports that profited most from the slave trade); Les Machines de l’île (amazing outsized mechanical creatures on which you can take a ride on the central Ile de Nantes); the landmarks along the lively, recently converted western Quai des Antilles on the Ile de Nantes, notably the Titan Crane and Les Anneaux by sculptor Daniel Buren (the last part of a series of monumental, startling contemporary open-air artworks made for the Estuaire biennales, set along the Loire’s Estuary) Rezé: Trentemoult, an atmospheric former Loire fishermen’s village, on the Loire’s south bank near central Nantes; Le Pendule by Roman Signer (another installation made for an Estuaire biennale) Bouaye: La Maison du Lac de Grand-Lieu visitor centre and associated Pavillon Guerlain (the latter set in a national nature reserve, with visits by reservation only: tel 02 28 25 19 07); the village de l’étier, beside the canal dug specially to serve the lake. Saint-Aignan de Grand-Lieu: Grand-Lieu Lake viewed from Pierres Aigües (offering a unique viewing point across the massive lake) Voie cyclable Liaisons Sur route Alternatives Parcours VTT Parcours provisoire

Départ Arrivée Nantes Bouaye